The library, by Jacopo Sansovino, was built and decorated by works of all the most famous artists of the Renaissance, between 1537 and 1560, with the scope of decorously containing the Greek and Latin codes which were given to the Venetian Republic by Cardinal Bessarione in 1468.
It is nowadays part of the National library Marciana where it keeps its function as the monumental part together with another building (where the lecture rooms and offices are located), the Zecca.

A visit to the museum in St Mark’s Square is a good way to discover Venice’s history and art. The tour begins in the Napoleon Wing and proceeds to the Neoclassical Rooms which holds scupture by Canova and ends in the Public Prosecutors rooms with exhibits on the history of Venice and ancient art. The second floor displays a collection of Venetian art from its beginnings until the 1500s and also houses the Museum of the Risorgimento.

The Archaeological Museum in St Mark’s Square hosts an important collection of Greek and Roman sculptures, ceramics, coins and stones. It also preserves the archaeological collection of Museo Correr, which covers Egyptian and Assyro-Babylonian antiquities.